assignments as stepping stones

In a brief article titled "Response to Sharon Crowley, 'Components of the Composing Process,'" in College Composition and Communication (1977), Nancy Sommers addresses the idea of composing as both a linear and recursive process. One of the three aspects that define this binary is the idea of writing assignments as linear "stepping stones," marking "writing development from assignment to assignment" (2).

This idea is at the forefront of my approach to the assignments in ENG 110. The overt example of the annotated bibliography and the I-search illustrates this best. This semester, I've decided to really reiterate the tie between assignments by asking students to analyze the texts for their annotated bibliography much in the way that they evaluated the text for their textual analysis. When evaluating their sources, I ask them to consider the rhetorical models we discussed for the textual analysis assignment -- ethos, pathos, and logos. I found that most of the material I had on evaluating sources could be boiled down to these three basic approaches: evaluate the source (who and what credentials, where it comes from, etc.), evaluate the tone/style (opinion? information?), and evaluate the validity of the argument (does the text provide counterarguments, etc.).

Of course, the annotated bibliography will be created from the students' sources for their I-Search assignment. I find that this is a valuable use for the students' time and also allows me to make sure their topic is properly narrow and acceptable. I'm allowing students to maintain control over their resources (two students will be using documentaries, for example), but at the same time they know I'm expecting them to critically approach each source and that each must live up to the students' evaluation of these three components. This knocks out common student mistakes such as using wikipedia or about.com. (FYI, I ran across a helpful website about evaluating internet sources, which reiterated that .org sites aren't necessarily credible. Their main example was martinlutherking.org, which is in fact sponsered by a white supremecist organization. Check it out -- it's shocking.)

I like Sommers' description of "assignments as stepping stones" because it implies a journey. With each assignment, the student is advancing towards a final destination. I've described how the critical analysis approach to the textual analysis helps the student evaluate sources for the annotated bibliography. The student will use the techniques he/she has learned for the Memoir to draw out the personal voice component of the I-Search. Exploring sources for the annotated bibliography will help the student discover information and ideas for the I-Search. The student's honest evaluation of his/her assumptions and beliefs when approaching the I-Search topic will help him/her be authentic and confident in taking and defending a stand with the Position Paper. The workshops, drafts, and revisions for each assignment will build towards the final assignment, "It's Wise to Revise," where the student can revisit one of the assignments in the course for a better grade. Looking at the course holistically, so to speak, helps me as a teacher understand the purpose and overall momentum behind the assignments, and helps the students to understand the relevance of each assignment and, hopefully, allow them to reflect back upon the growth they've made, one step at a time.